Adjustment retarder for slidable side jaw wrenches



Aug. 11, 1953 E. CHAPPEYL 2,648,243

'ADJUSTMENT RETARDER FOR SLIDABLE SIDE JAW WRENCHES Filed Feb. 29, 1952 v INVENTOR.

M6239" i M/( WW W Patented Aug. 11, 1953 ADJUSTMENT nn'rnnnnn FOR sLmABLE SIDE .JAW WRENCHES Chappel, Whitesboro, N. 1., assignorto Utiea Drop Forge '& Tool Corporation, a corporation of;New York Application February 29, 1952, Serial No. 274,135

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to adjustable end wrenches, and has more particular reference to an improved manually controlled brake for holding the worm nut of such a wrench against accidental turning after it has been actuated to properly adjust the movable jaw of the wrench.

It has been the experience of workers using adjustable wrenches that it has been necessary.

to frequently readjust the wrench when working, because the adjusting nut or worm turns during the work and throws the wrench out of adjustment.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a device to prevent the adjusting nut from turning during the work period and thereby throwing the wrench out of adjustment.

A further object of this invention is to provide a constant drag of an intensity sufficient to prevent self adjustment of the wrench, but low enough that the drag may be easily overcome by the operator in order that the drag need not be disengaged during intended adjustment.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a retarder for the adjustment member of adjustable wrenches, which retarder is substantially confined to the outline of the wrench Without any protruding portions to interfere with the normal usage of the wrench.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claim, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of one form of adjustable wrench having applied thereto a device embodying the preferred form of the invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a spring clip knurl retarder embodying the features of this invention.

There hase been many brakes and locks for wrenches having adjustable jaws, and an example of these devices may be had by referring to the United States Patent 2,483,917 and. the

references cited by the Examiner during the prosecution of the patent.

Prior to this invention, retarders for adjustable wrenches never received wide acceptance because they either required an adjustment button protruding from the side of the wrench, or an actual part of the retarder extends beyond the normal space of the wrench where it becomes a nuisance and readily gets bent out of shape and is thus damaged in use, besides being awkward to handle. Any protrusion on the side of such a wrench is a nuisance.

The retarder of the present invention does not depend upon a very close tolerance of the supporting portion of the wrench in order to give the retarder its retarding action. In the drawing a common open end type of adjustable wrench I0 is illustrated for the purpose of set ting forth a suitable environment for the present invention. The wrench III has a wrench body ll comprising a handle portion [2 and a stationary jaw 13. A movable jaw I4 is mounted on the wrench body II and is provided with a rack tooth drive 15. A knurl worm gear I6 is carried in a recess I! through the handle l2 and engages the rack tooth drive l5 for adjusting the jaw H. The worm gear I6 is usually provided with a roughened surface on the peripheral edge of the gear to facilitate finger gripping of the knurl to aid in adjusting the wrench.

The retarder of this invention is indicated generally by the reference character 20. As previously stated, this retarder does not depend upon accurately machined surfaces for its action, but rather is provided with a separate clamp portion 2| and a spring arm 22. The retarder 20, which may also be referred to as a spring clip, is preferably made of flat sprin material and has a U-shape with a bowed mid portion in order that the clamp portion 2| may extend through the recess I1 and grasp tightly upon the wrench body II. The bight of the clip fits over the wall of the wrench defining the recess [1.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the spring arm 22 is cut from the interior of the clip in the area of the bight and is bent away from the clamp portion 2| to extend outwardly and contact the knurl worm gear l8 mounted within the recess ll. The free end of the clip may be formed to conform to the contour of the worm gear, but need not necessarily be so.

Although it is believed preferable to make the spring arm 22 as illustrated and described, it is within the scope of this invention to attach a separate spring arm to the bight of a clamp, or to cut the spring arm from a side area. Other suitable variations within the scope of the invention will readily suggest themselves.

Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in' the details of construction and the combina- 3 tion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

In combination with an adjustable jaw wrench having a rotatable member and a recess to receive the adjustable member, a removable spring clip made or fiat spring material and having a U-shape with first and second leg portions and a bowed mid portion joining the leg portions,

said first and second leg portions extending to terminal free ends in a first direction from said mid portion, said clip receivable in the recess of the wrench and with the bight of the bowed portion of the clip fitting over a portion 01' the wrench, a portion of the clip in the area of the bight extending away from the body of the clip in a second direction from said mid portion to a free end in the form of a spring arm, said spring arm engaging the adjusting member to prevent rotation thereof.

EUGENE C'HAPPEL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date I 1,018,321 Iveson Feb. 20, 1912 1,367,408 McClurkin Feb. 1 1921 1,749,002 Schneider et a1. Mar. 4, 1930 2,309,529 Orchard Jan. 26, 1943 2,483,917 Maselter Oct. 4, 1949 

